Note:
Locations of the checkpoints are subject to change or
cancelation.

In recent years, California has seen a disturbing increase in
drug-impaired driving crashes. The Los Angeles Police Department
(LAPD) supports the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety
that aims to educate all drivers that "DUI Doesn't Just Mean
Booze." If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a
driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be
impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing,
especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can
result in a DUI.

The deterrent effect of High Visibility Enforcement using both DUI
checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols has proven to lower the
number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug impaired
crashes. Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver
can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized proactive
DUI operations are conducted routinely.

DUI Checkpoints and Saturation Patrols are placed in locations
based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests,
affording the greatest opportunity for achieving drunk and drugged
driving deterrence. Locations are chosen with safety considerations
for the officers and the public.

In California, alcohol involved collisions led to 1,155 deaths and
nearly 24,000 serious injuries in 2014 because someone failed to
designate a sober driver. Year to date, LAPD officers have
investigated 1,384 DUI related collisions, which have resulted in
10 fatal and 43 serious injury collisions.

Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug
impairment, with officers checking drivers for proper licensing,
delaying motorists only momentarily. When possible, specially
trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of
drug-impaired driving, which now accounts for a growing number of
impaired driving crashes.

Studies of California drivers have shown that 30 percent of drivers
in fatal crashes had one or more drugs in their systems. A study
of active drivers showed more tested positive for drugs that may
impair driving (14 percent) than did for alcohol (7.3 percent). Of
the drugs, marijuana was most prevalent, at 7.4 percent, slightly
more than alcohol. Everyone should be mindful that if you're taking
medication - whether prescription or over-the-counter - drinking
even small amounts of alcohol can greatly intensify the impairment
affects.